Nightingale
by Freyja SilverWillow
Summary: The nightingale is a bird that sings at night, unlike other birds that sleep when the sun sets. Is that not what you have become? one-shot


Greetings! This short, one-shot thing popped into my head last night while I was trying to sleep (and watching Batman Forever, incidentally). So I wrote, here it is, had a few issues about whether or not to post it, so I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Teen Titans. Someone make the men with the white coats and needles stop chasing me!

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The chamber hissed closed, the air pushing out to create a vacuum of space. Inside, the clothing did not shrivel or fall, filled out by a lifeless mannequin, the bold reds, greens and yellows shining brightly despite the opaque yellowish lighting cast from above. A black and white mask stared blankly out, no eyes or face behind it to animate it, at least, not anymore.

_You think I could at least find a better light bulb_, Nightwing mused silently, re-opening the chamber to fix the lighting.

"It is odd that you would open that again, even to fix how it is lit," a female voice came from behind. Nightwing didn't even start or turn.

"Call me a perfectionist if you want. I just like to have things seen in the right light."

"Or is it just the light you wish them to see it in?"

"If the light is yellowed or muddied, then the colors change and aren't the same."

Silence drifted over the darkened room like a tangible wave. The only sounds that broke it were the random clinks of glass and metal as Nightwing tinkered. Soon enough, footsteps echoed as the woman near the wall moved closer.

"So, would this be the day Robin truly becomes Nightwing, masked stranger?"

Standing again, Nightwing reset the chamber, the light now a soft white, the only illumination the room had, besides a few red lights off of random control boards. "It seems that way, doesn't it?"

"Why do you lock your former self away into a harshly lit glass tube?"

"I'm not. Just what my former self wore. The uniform of a sidekick."

"And of a leader, was it not?"

Nightwing smiled a little. "Of course." His smiled widened a little more. "And it didn't fit anymore."

"I would imagine it is difficult to slip through shadows wearing such bright colors."

"That too. The title of 'Robin' and the outfit belong to someone that doesn't really exist anymore. This Robin stopped being a sidekick when he joined the Titans, and was no longer a leader when the Titans were no longer a group." A hint of sadness entered his voice, wistful, as memories of the past ran though his mind.

"It is true the past is gone, and we shall all miss it. But Cyborg is still Cyborg, Raven is still Raven, Beast Boy is still Beast Boy, Starfire is still Starfire, and Nightwing..." Pausing a moment, the woman continued. "...is still Robin. You simply traded your wings. The robin has become a nightingale."

"What?"

"The nightingale is a bird that sings at night, unlike other birds that sleep when the sun sets. Is that not what you have become?"

The smile returned, larger this time. "I guess so."

"You have transformed, masked stranger." She was now beside him, her gaze still set upon the Robin suit trapped under glass, almost like something waiting to be dissected. "Or should I now say, unmasked?"

Glancing to the woman next to him, Nightwing suddenly realized what she meant when he saw his mask dangling from her fingers, the pointed mask that Nightwing would always wear.

"One assumes you forgot to put it back on. But what would cause the Boy Wonder to take it off at all, unless changing from Robin to Nightwing?" She held the mask up to her face and looked at him through it. "Or is it _Man_ Wonder now?" Slowly she lowered the mask so she could view him with her own eyes. "You have such beautiful eyes. Why do you hide them?"

Turning away slightly, Nightwing responded. "That's just how I am."

Silent for a moment, the woman began speaking again. "If I hid in the shadows with this mask, people might call me Nightwing, but I am not Nightwing. Even without the mask, people would still call you Nightwing." Stepping into his line of vision, she smiled at him. "Does not both Robin and Nightwing enjoy playing the hero?" Reaching out, she stroked his cheek. "And I will always love you, regardless of the mask you decide to wear."

Laying light kisses on the eyes of the mask, she replaced the mask, covering Nightwing's eyes once again. "Your secret is safe again."

Pulling her into his arms, Nightwing sighed into her hair. "What would I do without you?"

Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him. "Do we not already know the answer to that question?"

Just outside the ring of light cast from the chamber sealing off the colors Robin once wore from the rest of the world, they stood, holding each other.

_Robin is Robin_, she thought, _and I do love my beautiful nightingale_.

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Yeah, I think it's rather obvious who the girl is, but I every time I thought about inserting her name, it seemed to loose the feeling I wanted for this fic. Ah, well. Decide who you want it to be, personally, I'm all for Robin/Starfire. If you didn't notice, there's alot of references from the second season premiere episode, How Long is Forever. Kudos!


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